Icon Advisers Inc. Co. Purchases 375,000 Shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)

Icon Advisers Inc. Co. increased its stake in Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP - Free Report) by 375.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 475,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 375,000 shares during the quarter. Compass Minerals International accounts for approximately 1.2% of Icon Advisers Inc. Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Icon Advisers Inc. Co. owned approximately 1.15% of Compass Minerals International worth $5,344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Compass Minerals International in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,533,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Compass Minerals International in the fourth quarter valued at $1,439,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 42.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 199,794 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 59,312 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in Compass Minerals International by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 27,122 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $305,000 after buying an additional 5,292 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in Compass Minerals International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on CMP. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Compass Minerals International from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com upgraded Compass Minerals International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Compass Minerals International from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Compass Minerals International Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Compass Minerals International stock traded up $0.18 on Friday, hitting $11.33. The stock had a trading volume of 571,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 795,147. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $10.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.04. Compass Minerals International, Inc. has a one year low of $7.51 and a one year high of $15.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 2.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.67. The stock has a market cap of $470.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.87 and a beta of 1.17.

Compass Minerals International (NYSE:CMP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The basic materials company reported ($0.55) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by ($0.50). Compass Minerals International had a negative net margin of 15.10% and a negative return on equity of 10.00%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Compass Minerals International, Inc. will post -0.53 EPS for the current year.

Compass Minerals International Company Profile

Compass Minerals International, Inc, provides essential minerals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Salt and Plant Nutrition. The Salt segment produces, markets, and sells sodium chloride and magnesium chloride, including rock salt, mechanically and solar evaporated salt, and brine and flake magnesium chloride products; and purchases potassium chloride and calcium chloride to sell as finished products or to blend with sodium chloride to produce specialty products.